I was able to get some hands-on time with Chillingo's new bicycling platformer recently, and wow is it gorgeous. Icycle is a story about a lonely naked man named Dennis as he pedals his bicycle through a frozen world while he searches for love. I'm totally not embellishing that. You'll be guiding Dennis by way of fairly standard touch controls: arrow buttons to move, jump, and tap jump again to glide using an umbrella. Gathered ice cubes from each level can be used to buy new gear for Dennis - some cosmetic like new hats, others more utilitarian such as new bicycles or umbrellas - and most stages have at least one or two secrets to uncover.

What really makes Icycle one to watch, however, is the art style. The game uses a very beautiful and stylized vector look, and features some very impressive animations and designs that really stand out. I mean just look at those screens. Look at them.

Icycle: On Thin Ice should be out in December and will sell for $0.99. The initial release will feature 24 levels (each with challenges to complete and secrets to uncover), with more content planned for future updates.

Damp Gnat games, creator of Wonderputt, is bringing a new version of its stylish Flash game Icycle to iOS with the help of publisher Chillingo. Icycle: On Thin Ice has players controlling a lovelorn dreamer riding a bicycle through icy set pieces that grow increasingly difficult over time. Players can collect ice crystals in the game for fancy hats and to even unlock the levels from the original Icycle in this new version, featuring vector graphics that scale perfectly to the many zoom levels in the game. Expect this one soon.